Three years ago, I hit the bottom of my jaw hard enough to make my teeth really slam together. A few months later, I had some weird swelling that turned out to be a dental abscess. I had a root canal, took antibiotics, and thought that was the end of it.
Unfortunately, the pain and swelling continued. The periodontist I saw said she thought that the tooth likely had a vertical root fracture and was at risk for causing an infection in the surrounding bone. She advised me to have it pulled and replaced by an implant. Since I was already broke after paying for the root canal, I put it on the back burner and figured I'd deal with it later.
Within the past month, the tooth has been bothering me quite a bit. I went to my dentist, who referred me to another periodontist, who confirmed that yes, there is a vertical root fracture, and now there appears to be a low-grade infection in the surrounding bone. I can't wait any longer to have this tooth taken out.
The surgery to have the tooth out and the implant put in costs over $3,500. My insurance will cover some of it but I'm not sure how much, and I will still have to pay up front and wait to be reimbursed. This would be not-great at any, but it's especially not-great just before the holidays during a pandemic year when my income has dipped significantly. If you are able to donate anything at all, I would really appreciate that.
Thank you!
Anne
